LauraJanaeBickle (1984 - 2013)

Laura Janae Bickle, 28, passed away on Jan. 1, 2013. After battling an eating disorder off and on for 15 years, she is now at peace. Laura was born in Bozeman on Feb. 23, 1984 to Kerry and Barbara Bickle. She joined her big brother, Brian, whom she adored.

She attended Emerson and Morning Star Elementary Schools, Chief Joseph and Sacajawea Middle Schools, and graduated from Bozeman Senior High School in 2002. As more than one elementary teacher said, Laura was quite a lively character! She loved all aspects of school life, including performing in plays and singing, although sometimes slightly off-key.

All areas of academia interested Laura. She loved to write and did so with flair and clarity. Music became important in her life, starting in the fifth grade when she learned to play the flute. During Laura's junior year of high school, she composed a piece, "Summer Flutes," that was performed by her Music Theory classmates and debuted at MSU's Reynolds Hall. Another musical highlight of her school life was marching in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif. with the Bozeman High School Band. Thriving on athletic competition, she participated in basketball, soccer, track and field, volleyball, and golf during her elementary, middle school, and early high school years.

Perhaps the academic area she loved the most was art. An incredible charcoal masterpiece that she completed in high school will forever hang on a wall in her parents' home and remind them daily of their daughter's talent and beauty, both inside and out.

After taking Mr. Scott Taylor's AP biology class, Laura's interest in science blossomed and spurred her on to major in cell biology and neuroscience at Montana State University. She graduated from MSU in 2005 and was employed as a research technician at MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering at the time of her death.

Laura was preceded in death by both grandmothers, Margaret Bickle and Helen Spring; her paternal grandfather, William Bickle; and an uncle, Larry Bickle.

Survivors include her parents, Kerry and Barbara; her brother, Brian; her grandfather, Wilbur P. Spring, Jr.; several aunts and uncles, Maida and Jim Paris, Susan and Chuck Noble, Beverly and Richard Marlow, Tom and Kathleen Spring, and Bob and Megan Spring; her special friend, David Green; and many cousins, workmates, and friends.

Laura's family would like to express their gratitude to all those who have offered their help and/or made comments on internet sites. We will always treasure these heartwarming tributes to our daughter, as they have made our pain easier to bear. Memorials in Laura's name may be made to the Bozeman Friends of Music, P.O. Box 536, Bozeman, MT 59771 or the Bozeman Schools Foundation, PO Box 1803, Bozeman, MT 59771-1803.

A celebration of Laura's life will be held at 1 p.m. on Jan. 5 at Dokken Nelson Sunset Chapel, with a reception to follow at Grand Avenue Christian Church. A private family interment at Park View Memorial Gardens in Livingston will precede the service.